


Infected (On Hiatus)

by CaptainHackSparrow



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Grief/Mourning, Grieving Wally, Laid back Roy, Loss of Trust, M/M, Mutual Pining, Out of Character Roy, Out of Character Wally, There will be zombies eventually I promise, Younger Roy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-19
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-09-18 12:29:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9385253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainHackSparrow/pseuds/CaptainHackSparrow
Summary: After nearly a year of trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world, the only concern Wally has is his team and him reaching the next tomorrow. All of that goes to hell when they find a lost boy by the name of Dick Grayson. Everything from how the team functions to how both boys feel about themselves and the world around them is about to change.(I've come down with a terrible case of writer's block. If anyone has any ideas, please comment!)





	1. Chapter One

“They’re supposed to be short,” Meagan explained in an over patient tone. She held up the cut up pair of jeans she had fashioned into shorts. “Shorts are lighter and trap less heat, so they’re ideal for physical activity in ways that pants aren’t.”

Artemis scowled at the pair of shorts like she had just been told they were the source of all cancers. “The drawbacks still outweigh the benefits. We still aren’t sure if exposure to the air helps to spread the virus,” she argued, crossing her arms against her chest stubbornly.

“Haven’t be already been over this? We proved that the virus is spread through breathing the air weeks ago,” Wally pointed out impatiently. The two had been going back and forth about it for some time now without letting anyone else get a word in edgewise. The group had other things to discuss and more pressing ways to spend their time. “As long as we don’t go outside without our masks, exposure is the least of our worries.”

“We haven’t proved that exposure doesn’t also have a hand in it,” Artemis snapped at the redhead. “With all we have to worry about, we can’t afford to take risks we aren’t sure about.”

“I have listened to both of your points of view,” Kaldur finally cut in, “but this time Artemis is right. We can’t yet rule out skin exposure as a factor in the virus’s spread. Until we are able to, we will have to play it safe; which means pants overrule shorts.”

Meagan set the pair of makeshift shorts on the table and looked down at them glumly. Wally glanced over and caught Conner giving her a sympathetic look. Wally sighed, feeling a small surge of pity for her as well. She had been eager to share her idea with the team. Fortunately for them, she tended not to dwell on glumness.

“We’re running low on food and water,” Kaldur continued as he moved on from the subject. “Artemis and Wally, you two are on hunting duty. Meagan, Conner, and I are on water duty.” He stood up, signaling that the meeting was over. “Do not leave without a radio,” he reminded them.

It had taken a while to settle on a team leader, but it was decided unanimously by the other members once they recognized Kaldur’s aptitude for leadership. The group had had more direction and operated better as a unit after he accepted the role. The whole team agreed that they had made a good choice.

Wally rolled his eyes at the reminder; no one ever forgot their radios. This was largely due to the fact that they were attached to the front door when not in use. Above them hung a large sign reading, ‘DO NOT FORGET TO BRING A RADIO.’ He stood up and took a good look around himself. It was becoming easier and easier to think of this place as home. It was only a small, one-story cabin, but it seemed to fit the team just right. There was just enough space for all of them there. The house had its issues, but all of them had their benefits. For example, most of the floorboards creaked, but you could always tell when someone was coming. The walls were too thin for secrets to go unheard, but that just brought the team closer together. His homesickness was fading as he grew fonder of the place by the day.

 

“It’s not my fault you were the last one to the supply closet,” Artemis said, the gas mask distorting her voice. Wally noted that while he could get used to the house, he would always find the masks strange. He ignored her and continued to mutter about the hiking boots she was wearing and how unfair it was that he was stuck with rubber rain boots. “It’s a bit ironic that you’re always the last one there. You’re supposed to be the fast one.”

“Oh, and it’s not completely ironic that you can hardly shoot a gun and you’re supposed to be the one with great aim?” He shot back, stepping around a fern as they picked their way through the forest towards the last of their traps. They’d been fortunate enough to have caught two squirrels and a rabbit already, so it wouldn’t be a big deal if the last trap turned up empty.

“Guns and arrows are two different things. You’re just bitter because it’s, what, your eighth outing in a row in those?” She replied offhandedly.

“Fifth. Meagan took pity on me last week,” Wally admitted.

Artemis scoffed. “Sounds like her.”

Static from the walky talky in his hand startled him, then Kaldur’s voice came through. “Connor, Meagan, and I are are back from water duty. Nothing to report.” Wally groaned at the reminder that they had to walk twice as far as the water duty group to get to all the traps.

They walked in silence for a few minutes.

“Speaking of Meagan,” Wally said, finally breaking the silence.

“I know what you’re going to ask, and the answer is no,” Artemis answered without having to be asked

“She would really appreciate it. She was pretty disappointed that her idea didn’t hold up with the rest of the team as well as she hoped it would,” he reasoned.

“All I did at the meeting was state facts that should have been obvious to everyone else.”

“That’s all I’m doing right now.” He looked at her hopefully.

There was another long pause as they continued their trek. She didn’t respond until they got to their first trap, where she tilted back her head and let out a long groan. “Fine. I’ll apologize.”

Wally grinned beneath his mask. He opened his mouth to respond.

“Shut up,” Artemis snapped before he could.

“I didn’t say anyth-” He was cut off again, this time by her gloved hand clamped over his mask. She pointed up towards at their trap. Trapped in the net hanging from the tree was a boy.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaldur makes a decision that not all of the team is happy with.

“What should we do?” Wally asked once he and Artemis had retreated far enough away from the trap to get within range of the other radios. They only had to walk a few minutes’ length away, and he was still on edge from being within a mile of another human that wasn’t on his team.

“Wait for us to get there,” Kaldur’s voice answered from the walky talky’s speaker. “I doubt very much that it needs to be said, but stay where you are until we arrive.”

The team’s last encounter with other humans- besides the infected- was roughly five months prior. They met another group of survivors, and it had ended poorly for all of them. None of the group were anticipating meeting another.

Wally sat on the ground with his knees pulled to his chest and cradled his head in his hands. He heard Artemis sit down beside him. He knew that she was looking at him uncertainly and searching for words that might comfort him without needing to look up. His shoulders tensed as he braced himself for an “It gets easier,” or maybe this time it would be “He’s still with us in spirit.” Though by some sliver of luck she seemed to sense that words would only cause annoyance and pain because her words never came. They sat there in silence as they waited for the others.

 

“I don’t understand,” Kaldur cried, his voice strained with emotion. “We provided them with food and shelter. We tended to their wounds. How then is this how they choose to repay us?”

Wally said nothing. There was no possible way to justify this. Roy lay at his feet staring up at the ceiling with empty eyes. He covered his nose and mouth with his hand as the stench of the blood staining the carpet became unbearable.

Roy was buried within the hour. A few days later they dug a young tree from the front yard and replanted it on his grave in the backyard. The whole team felt the loss, but Wally and Kaldur had known him their whole lives. The two of them grieved very differently. Kaldur visited his grave every day; Wally could never even bring himself to look at it. Kaldur was at least healing day by day. Wally was more unpredictable now. For a while he would be his old self again, and then there would be a stretch of time where he was just as unstable as when it had just happened.

 

The team stood in a semi-circle around the trap. They stared at the boy’s unmoving body as they waited for Kaldur to make a decision. Artemis had to slap Wally’s arm to get him to stop fidgeting three separate times.

“I have made my choice,” Kaldur said at last. “I apologize if any of you disagree with it;” this was directed at Wally, who bristled at the unwanted attention; “but I have decided that we will take in this boy. Unlike most of our group’s actions, this is not up for debate. We will have to quarantine him to the best of our abilities until we’re sure he’s healthy due to the lack of protective gear on him. However, if he isn’t infected, he will be invited to join us once he has recovered.” He turned his attention once again back to Wally. “I’m telling you all now so that when the time comes you are prepared to welcome him onto the team.”

The others avoided looking towards Wally, but he knew that all of their collective attention was focused on him. He crossed his arms against his chest and said nothing. He studied the boy in the net as the others lowered him down carefully. His chest rose and fell with his breath patterns. He was still alive. What a shame, Wally thought, we could have used him for animal bait.

The boy sprung to his feet the second the net had been cut apart, surprising everyone else. Either he had woken up sometime before they freed him, or he was never unconscious in the first place. He dropped into a fighting stance and looked around at the strangers surrounding him. When none of them moved to attack, he lunged at Wally.

Wally thanked his quick reflexes as he dodged the blow meant for his stomach. Connor dropped from the tree, catching the boy by surprise from behind. A powerful hit to the back of his head knocked him out cold. Connor caught him as he fell. The team turned to face Kaldur to gauge his reaction.

“My position still stands,” Kaldur stated with finality. “He’s coming with us.”

 

Wally stood over the unconscious boy in their bathtub, regarding him disdainfully. He had remained unconscious for the past eighteen hours. Of those, Wally had been by his side for fourteen hours. He narrowed his eyes at the boy. What was it about him that caused Kaldur to trust him without knowing the first thing about him?

“You should not be in here.”

Wally startled at the sound of Kaldur’s voice behind him, recognizable even through the gasmask. He turned to face him and redirected his hostility from the boy to his friend. “Well, someone has to keep an eye on him.”

“Yes,” Kaldur agreed, “but not constantly. He is not a threat to us in his current state. I have just come to check on him, but it appears he’s still under.”

Wally glowered at him. “And I’m here to make sure he doesn’t become a hazard.”

Kaldur looked at him skeptically. “That is unnecessary. He hasn’t even woken yet. Can’t you wait to decide he puts our team at risk until we are certain of him?”

“We’ve made that mistake before, and what do we have to show for it?” He was yelling now. “A dead friend and a bloodstained carpet.”

“Do not raise your raise your voice at me,” Kaldur warned.

“Why? Because you’re team leader? You aren’t fit to be leader, you were hardly fit to be his friend. None of us were! His death is on all of our shoulders,” Wally spat.

“How dare you claim that I wasn’t an adequate friend!” He was yelling by now as well. “None of us are to blame for what happened to Roy.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Kaldur.”

“You have learned nothing from his death,” Kaldur accused. “People are in danger. Ever since the outbreak of the infection, no one is safe anymore. People need the help of those that can give it.”

“I’m not the one who hasn’t learned anything,” Wally retorted. “No one is safe means no one can be trusted. And that includes him.” He pointed at the boy in the bathtub. “So say what you want and cling to your faith in humanity, but I will die protecting this team if I have to.”

Kaldur sighed and before leaving he said, “I hope that you don’t think you are the only one who would.”


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boy finally wakes up.

“He’s up!” Megan called, running from the bathroom into the living room. It had taken the better part of an hour, but she had managed to convince Wally to take a break and get some rest while she watched over the boy. “You really hit him hard Connor, it’s been thirty-two hours.” Connor shrugged indifferently but then smiled at her fondly. Kaldur stiffened as he watched this exchange. 

“Should someone wake up Wally?” Artemis asked as she got up off the couch. 

“Let him sleep,” Kaldur replied. “He needs his rest.”

The boy walked out of the bathroom rubbing his head. “Definitely not feeling the aster,” he muttered to himself.

“How are you feeling?” Megan asked carefully, not hearing him.

“Like I was knocked unconscious and kidnapped by strangers. So all in all, about how you’d expect,” he responded sarcastically. Artemis snickered, and the two of them shared an amused glance.

“We apologize for that,” Kaldur told him. Connor scoffed but for the most part was ignored. “My name is Kaldur’ahm, but I am called Kaldur.”

“Artemis Crock,” she introduced herself.

“I’m Megan M’orzz,” Megan said with a bright grin. The boy turned to Connor expectantly. “He’s Connor Kent,” she continued. “He can’t talk.”

“Oh, and he doesn’t know sign language?” He asked her.

“No, he does,” she explained, “but he prefers to communicate in other ways. He doesn’t use words unless he absolutely has to.” 

The boy frowned. “Oh, um… okay?”

“And you are?” Artemis interjected a bit impatiently. 

“Richard Grayson, but just call me Dick,” he answered.

“How fitting.”

Dick and the rest of the team turned to see a tired and disgruntled Wally standing in the doorway. He walked across the room to the kitchen, his shoulder knocking against Dick’s as he passed.

“That was Wally; and now you have met all of us. If you’ll excuse me,” Kaldur said before following him out of the room.

Artemis waited until the door swung shut behind him to speak again. “I hope they’re about to make up. Its too weird seeing them fight.” Megan nodded in agreement.

“They having a lovers spat or something?” Dick asked curiously.

Both girls looked at him and dissolved into laughter when they realized he was serious. “Them? Are you kidding me? They’ve been friends since birth, and besides that, Wally is the opposite of his type.”

“Yeah, Kaldur’s more into the strong, silent type,” Megan giggled. The girls shared knowing grins.

“What makes you say that?” He inquired.

“He doesn’t think we know, but he’s got it bad for Connor,” Artemis clarified.

“You said he was mute, not deaf,” Dick interrupted, swiveling around to look towards the boy in question. Connor was nowhere in the room.

“He already left. He hates group meetings,” Megan explained. “He always heads out as soon as he’s no longer needed.”

Dick nodded. “You two seem close.” He moved to sit on the couch. Artemis followed and sat on the other side, and Megan sat in a chair across from them.

“They are,” Artemis confirmed. “Connor’s surprisingly expressive for someone who never talks to us, but he’s still difficult to understand. Fortunately for us, Megan acts as a translator. She’s freakishly good at reading people,” she teased her.

Megan laughed. “Both of my parents were therapists.”

“Makes sense. So how does Connor feel?” He asked her.

“Hard to say, but I think he feels the same way,” she speculated. 

“My money’s on yes,” Artemis agreed. “You won’t see it unless you know to look for it, but he tends to pay more attention to Kaldur than he does to others, even when Kal’s not saying anything.”

“Plus lately, Connor seems nervous around him,” Megan added. “But we have this plan to give them a little push in the right direction.”

“Actually, it was Wally’s plan,” Artemis corrected.

‘Wally- he’s the grumpy redhead, right? What’s his deal?” Dick asked.

The two girls looked at one another hesitantly. “Well,” Artemis started slowly, “it’s a long story, but it was Kaldur who made the decision to bring you in. He’s the team’s leader. But Wally doesn’t trust you. That’s what they’ve been fighting about,”

“Your group isn’t run democratically?” He questioned. 

“Usually we are, but this is something that Kaldur feels very strongly about,” Megan informed him. “He feels the need to help others at all costs.”

“I didn’t need help,” Dick scoffed.

“You were stuck in a net, Dick,” Artemis countered. 

The corner of his mouth quirked into a smile. “Fair point. But still, the kidnapping? Was that necessary?”

“We weren’t just going to leave you out there to die. You were unconscious,” Megan reasoned.

“About that, why the bathroom? Why not, like, a bed or something?”

“You were unconscious, what good would a bed do? But we also had to quarantine you. We weren’t sure until now if the virus could be spread by skin exposure to the outside air,” Artemis answered him.

“Oh, I forgot about that!” Megan exclaimed. “Now we can reopen the shorts versus pants discussion!”

“Pfft, try getting Connor to wear shorts. Take it up with Kaldur. I’m sure he’ll set up another group meeting for the discussion as soon as he’s able.”

"So wait, speaking of Connor," Dick said with a mischievous grin, "tell me about this plan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one was short, finals week is really kicking my ass. Still though, two chapters in two days?? It's crazy!  
> Anyway, please comment bellow if you have any suggestions for the story or feedback, I would love to hear from you!


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaldur approaches Wally about their fight.  
> Dick and Wally are put on water duty together.  
> Wally remembers a happier time.

Kaldur shut the kitchen door quietly behind himself. Wally was sitting on the edge of the kitchen table looking out the window. He cleared his throat to get the boy’s attention. Wally turned to him, his face troubled. “I would like to apologize for what was said between us.”

Wally let out a long sigh. “Me too.”

“I think you might have been too harsh on him,” said Kaldur, treading carefully.

His shoulders sagged as he lowered his gaze to the ground. “Maybe I was.” This was what mourning did to Wally; it left him burning with anger one moment and doused with sorrow the next.

“This kid needs us,” Kaldur said. He neglected mentioning that they needed him just as much. That would be crossing a line. Wally didn’t need that right now.

He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes as tears dripped from them. “Some days it feels like I’m being ripped apart,” he whispered hoarsely. “Like little pieces of me are being torn off and used to fill the gap he’s left behind in me, but no matter how much I give it will never be enough. The hole just keeps growing.”

Kaldur said nothing. There were no words strong enough to bear the weight of his grief. Instead he sat down on the chair beside him. Wally would never have heard him even if he had spoken.

 

Dick turned his head to see Wally. The redhead stared forward stubbornly. He sighed and looked back towards where they were headed. “You’re going to have to talk to me eventually, or at least just look at me.” He was once again met with silence. They trudged on as the tension between them only grew. It had been Megan’s idea for them to be put on water duty together. He was seriously beginning to question her ideas.

They eventually crossed an old, creaking bridge over a creek. Wally finally turned to him and said, “I don’t have time to point out every weak spot. Step where I step.” Dick nodded. He couldn’t suppress the grin that spread across his face under his mask. This was the first time he had spoken to him since he woke up in the bathroom that morning; he considered this progress.

“Why aren’t we getting water from the creek?” He asked as they started over the bridge. He watched Wally’s feet in front of him carefully so that he could choose the same steps.

The question was met with a groan. Wally clearly wasn’t interested in conversing. “Are you blind? The water’s filthy. We get the water from a well.” He continued across the bridge carrying the hope that he would take the hint and stop talking.

“There are ways to filter it,” Dick pointed out. “I could teach you how if you want.”

Wally spun around quickly on his heel. “We don’t need your help,” he snapped. Dick took a step back in surprise. His foot landed squarely on a slippery board that Wally had strategically avoided. His foot slipped off the edge, sending him with a splash into the murky water. He sat on his bruised rear looking up at Wally.

“This is what I’m talking about. You aren’t fit to be part of the group. The ways we have work. Don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”  He turned and continued across the bridge. He crossed it faster now that he didn’t have to worry about showing Dick the way. He stopped at the edge of the creek to say, “Just stay here until I get back. You’ll just slow me down otherwise.” He walked into the line of trees and disappeared around the bend.

So much for progress, Dick thought bitterly as he wiped the dripping hair out of his face.

 

Roy tossed his head back with unrestrained laughter. Wally grinned over at him as they walked back home from the old well. He loved making him laugh, it was his favorite part of the day. “That isn’t at all how it happened,” he said once he could stop laughing.

“Yes it is! You married Jade Nguyen on the playground and then tried to eat an entire tube of glue,” Wally repeated,” and you would’ve succeeded if it weren’t for Mrs. Lance.”

“Alright, yes, I remember that part. But we didn’t get a divorce because I peed myself,” Roy insisted stubbornly.

“Okay first of all, everyone pees themself at some point in their life, what’s the big deal? Secondly, yes you did. I remember she divorced you because she asked her mom and her mom told her that adults don’t pee themselves, so she thought you weren’t mature enough for a relationship,” he insisted.

This earned another laugh from Roy. “Oh god, you’re right, I remember that. But in all fairness, I wanted to see how much juice boxes it would take before I exploded. I got up to six before I realized my mistake, and Ms. Lance wouldn’t let me go to the bathroom.”

“It was for the best, though,” Wally pointed out as they came to the bridge over the creek. “Jade was way too smart for you. I mean, who the hell knows the words ‘mature’ and ‘relationship’ in second grade?”

With a chuckle, Roy took Wally’s hand with his for stability. The two began to pick their way across the bridge tentatively. “Yeah, and you’re such a genius. It took you, like, two months to learn the alphabet song.”

“I kept forgetting the melody,” he said defensively. “I kept getting it confused with Mary Had a Little Lamb.” They were looking at each other now instead of at their feet. Wally could imagine Roy’s current expression perfectly under the gasmask from years and years of knowing the boy.

Roy started to speak when he misstepped and his foot slipped off the bridge. He tumbled off of it with a surprised yelp, pulling Wally with him. He landed on his feet by some miracle. Roy, who had landed on his rear, was less fortunate. He burst into laughter until he was splashed in the face by his less amused companion; but then they were both laughing so hard their ribs hurt, and then Wally knew.

He was in love with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, just to clear things up in case it's necessary, Wally was being extra assholeish because Dick reminded him of Roy. So I guess you can decide whether or not it's justified.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaldur fills Dick in about the past.  
> Dick and Wally find themselves in a fight against the infected.  
> (Warning: Gore and graphic descriptions.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to warn you again, just in case you didn't see the above warning, that this chapter contains some gore and graphic descriptions. Read at your own risk.  
> Also, I forgot to mention last time, but I updated the tags. Please go over them again only so there aren't any unintended surprises down the road.

“Due to the opposing arguments, shorts will be optional but not mandatory,” Kaldur concluded the debate. The group looked overall satisfied with this decision, so he continued on from the subject. “I did not call a group meeting merely for the sake of discussing pants versus shorts. I have something else on my mind that I feel needs to be shared.” He looked over at Wally. “This has to do with Roy. For me to speak my mind, all of us need to understand what happened. That includes Dick.”

Wally stood up from his place at the table. “If you have to tell the story, then tell it. I can’t hear it again.”

Kaldur nodded in understanding. “Then I will wait until you have gone to begin and discuss this topic with you at a later time.” Wally returned to nod and walked from the room.

 

Dick walked carefully to the edge of the roof where Wally sat with his legs dangling above the porch. “I was sent to get you,” he explained. “The meeting’s over.”

“Let me guess; another of Megan’s futile attempts at us bonding?” Wally sighed.

Dick shrugged. “Something like that. It was Artemis this time, though.”

“I hate it when they agree.” His nose scrunched up behind his mask and he turned to face Dick. “You smell awful, by the way.”

“I wouldn’t if you hadn’t been an ass at the creek,” he snapped defensively. “Five showers later, I still smell like a sewer.”

Wally pushed himself away from the edge of the roof and stood up. “Tell Connor to get suited up,” he instructed the younger boy as he looked out into the forest.

“What? Why?” 

He pointed out into the trees. “Trap two. A couple of the infected are heading towards our bait. Catching them would be useless. It’s not like we can eat them.”

“Take me. I’m already ready to go,” Dick replied. 

Wally looked him up and down, assessing him. “Can you fight?” He asked.

“Of course,” Dick scoffed.

Wally looked at him for a long moment. “Alright. Let’s go.”

 

“Based on the awful smell we’re getting close,” Wally confirmed, “and judging by where we are they haven’t reached the trap yet.”

“That’s good,” Dick replied, knowing full well that Wally was talking to himself.

They came up to a bend and he motioned silently for him to stop. He peered around a tree carefully. “They’re just up ahead,” he whispered, this time speaking to the boy directly. He shifted the tomahawk in his left hand to his right.

Dick nodded wordlessly. He followed Wally carefully around the tree. Standing before them were two grotesque humanoid forms. No wonder they had such a horrible smell, he thought; their flesh was rotting as it clung weakly to their bodies. Beyond that, many of their teeth were broken or chipped and their eyes were sunken and bloodshot. The hair was torn from their scalps in some places, or perhaps fell from them from their malnutrition. 

The infected noticed them only when they were right up behind them and turned around. Dick lowered himself into a fighting stance and aimed a blow at the jaw of the closest one. 

Wally pulled him back by the shirt collar before his fist could land the hit and shoved Dick behind himself. He gripped the handle of his tomahawk firmly with both hands and swung the blade at its face. The weapon wedged itself into its skull. He kept his hands on it and kicked the infected’s stomach to dislodge it. It came back with some force as the infected fell backwards onto the ground. 

The second rounded on him and he went straight for its weak spot. He swung with as much force as he could muster and embedded the tomahawk into its neck. He pulled it out and let the body fall limply to the ground as he looked towards the first. It was getting to its feet, numb to the blood flowing from its split open face. Dick sidestepped past Wally, preparing to throw another punch. An arrow whizzed past his ear and pierced through the infected’s neck. It crumbled to the ground. He swung around to see Artemis and Megan few yards behind them.

“That could have hit me,” Dick protested, taking a step away from the bodies.

Artemis arched an eyebrow at him. She lowered her bow as she and Megan walked over to them. “I don’t miss,” she stated. She turned to Wally. “You two are lucky we were sent to check the traps right behind you! What the hell were you thinking, leaving without telling anyone?”

“We had to move fast,” Wally argued. “They were close to reaching the bait.”

Megan placed her hands on her hips as she cut in. “Nevermind that. Dick was standing behind you but was obviously willing to fight. Why weren’t you letting him?”

“He tried to punch an infected in the face,” Wally defended himself. “He didn’t even bring along a weapon.”

Dick frowned. “What difference does that make? I could’ve done just as much damage as you did with your axe!”

“Tomahawk,” Wally corrected, “and no, you couldn’t have. You would’ve gotten yourself killed.”

“Wally’s right,” Artemis agreed. “The infected need to be at least at an arm’s length away. If you had been bitten, the infection would’ve spread to you, and you would end up as that.” She pointed to the dead infected.

“I thought that the disease was spread through the air,” Dick challenged.

“It is, but it’s spread through the infected themselves as well,” explained Megan.

“How don’t you know this?” Wally questioned, looking at him accusingly. “The infection has been spreading for, like, a year.”

“Yesterday was my first day outside since the infection spread,” Dick explained in exasperation. “I was living in a bomb shelter with my family. It was built under our house during the second world war, but when this war started my dad started stocking it with food just in case. Then there was the outbreak and he had us all stow away in there. We ran out of food a few days ago. I’m the oldest, so he and I went out to search for food. We got seperated and I got lost trying to find my way back to the shelter. Then I had the misfortune of stepping into your trap, you took me in, and now here we all are,” he concluded bitterly.

“I’m sorry to hear that you got separated from your family,” Megan empathized. “I got separated from mine, too. In a sort. They died. But I found a new family.” She smiled at Artemis and Wally.

“We’ll talk to Kaldur about it,” Artemis promised. “We’ll help you find your family, as long as you do actually want our help.”

Dick smiled gratefully at her. “I’d like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that the ending is a bit weak, I'm still exhausted from the stress of the first day of finals. I was just very excited to get this chapter out seeing as there are finally actual zombies in it.


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wally remembers a piece of his childhood.  
> Artemis makes a startling realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's been so long since I've updated! I'm in my school's production of The Tempest and rehearsals have been eating up all of my writing time. Anyway, today marks the first day of show week, so hopefully I'll be able to update much more frequently starting next week.

Wally ran into the kitchen bawling. He stopped short at the sight of Roy Harper, who in this childish period of his life he rather dramatically considered his arch nemesis, sitting on his kitchen counter eating from a jar of peanut butter. He seemed unphased by Wally’s entrance, too preoccupied with his snack.

“”Where’s my mom and dad?” Wally blubbered, wiping at his eyes. His ears heated up at the embarrassment of crying in front of the other boy.

“They went out to dinner,” Roy answered around a mouthful of the sticky condiment. “Didn’t they tell you they were gonna?”

Wally vaguely recalled them mentioning that they were going out with Roy and Kaldur’s parents. In all honesty, he hadn’t been paying the most attention at the time. 

Roy looked up from the peanut butter at him. “Woah, what happened to you?”

“I fell off the trampoline,” Wally huffed. “I was tryin’a do a flip and my gum fell outta my mouth and got stuck in my hair.” He pointed at the pink glob stuck to his bangs. “I don’t know how to get it out.” 

Roy grinned triumphantly. “I know how!” He held up the jar in his hand. “You gotta put peanut butter on it!”

Wally scrunched up his nose in stubborn disgust. “I’m not puttin’ that in my hair! You were eating out of it.” He scowled distrustfully at the jar. On top of all of his other objections, their childish rivalry left him with little faith in him.

“Do you want to hafta cut it out?” Roy asked impatiently.

“I’d rather that than have peanut butter and spit in my hair,” Wally answered.

“We start first grade in five days. You wanna have a clump of hair missing from the front of your head?”

He contemplated this momentarily before staring down at the floor glumly. “No,” he relented, seeing no other options. He stuck out his hand for the jar.

Roy scooped out one last mouthful before handing it over. “You can borrow my spoon if you want,” he offered after he had licked it clean. Wally made a face and chose not to dignify the offer with a response. He stared into the plastic container. 

“Are you sure this’ll work?” He asked hesitantly. 

The other boy crossed his arms across his chest with a roll of his eyes. “If you’re so scared, go ask Kal about it.” He hopped down from the kitchen counter. 

“I’m not scared,” Wally insisted, puffing up his chest to make himself look tough. He then eyed the peanut butter. “Better ask just in case, though,” he added after a moment. He sucked in a breath as he waited for Roy to ridicule him.

“Okay,” Roy agreed with a shrug. “He’d be mad if something went wrong and he wasn’t there.”

Wally nodded. “Yeah, he probably would.”

 

Dick sighed to himself around a mouthful of peanut butter. Wally was actually interested in talking to him about his little brother on the way back from the fight, but once they were back at the base he just scowled at him and left midway through their conversation. Dick had again made the mistake of thinking they were getting somewhere only to have the progress reversed at the drop of a hat.

“Were you raised in a barn? Get off the counter,” Artemis scolded as she entered the room and sat down at the kitchen table.

He laughed at the phrase. “No, a bomb shelter.” He put the jar and spoon down and hopped off the counter. “What’s up?”

Artemis gestured for him to sit across from her. “I want to talk to you about your family. Can you describe them so we know who to look for?”

Dick nodded. “Yeah, sure.” He tilted his head back to look at the ceiling as he thought.

“Okay, well there are three other people in my family. I have a little brother named Damian who’s half Arabian. He’s eight years old but already almost as good at martial arts as I am. He’s short even for his age. Oh, and he has black hair.” He could go on about Damian for hours, but all Artemis had asked for was a general description.

“There’s my grandpa, Alfred. He’s sixty but in good shape. He has grey hair, a mustache, and he’s about five foot six. My dad, Bruce, has black hair like Damian but is caucasian like me and Alfred. He’s about five foot six. Is that enough to go on?” He looked back down at Artemis to see that she had gone ghostly pale. 

“Yeah,” she responded. “Hey Dick, did Bruce and Alfred leave your bomb shelter for extended periods of time?”

He frowned at the question. “Um, yeah, sometimes they would leave to see if things on the surface had improved. Artemis, are you okay?”

“Yeah, uh, that should be enough to go on,” She responded distractedly. “Do you know where Kaldur is? I really need to talk to him.” 

“He’s still in the living room, I think,” he said, looking at her worriedly.

Artemis stood up so quickly her chair knocked over and clattered to the floor behind her. She didn’t seem to notice as she sprinted towards the living room. She was gone before he could ask what was wrong. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, this was such a short chapter, I'm sorry! I had to cut it off there because if I added the next section to this chapter it would be far too long, and besides that I don't have time this week for that. The flashback was sort of unnecessary, but I feel like this fic gets kinda angsty at times and that y'all could use some fluff.


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